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OPINION

Chuck Avery: Altering the calendar for fun and profit

One evening earlier this summer — about the middle of June — I was watching the six o’clock network news when the announcer segued into the next story with this introduction: “Well, the 2020 presidential election is just around the corner, and....” The news anchor went on to elaborate on the latest polls and other election data.

Just around the corner? By my calculation, it was 17 months away. As long as we are relying on polls, let’s remember that according to demographic studies, the largest part of the audience for evening news programs is made up of senior citizens. From that, we may deduce that many of the viewers will be dead before the election.

I am, of course, being facetious, but it seems the coverage of presidential elections gets earlier each time. I suppose part of the reason is that an important aspect of the news business is “being first.” Traditionally that applied only to unscheduled events like fires, accidents or an oddly-shaped gourd resembling Barack Obama, but competition has a way of spreading to all areas. This rivalry partially explains why we see “Winter Weather Alerts” in January and “Heat Alerts” in July.

The other reason for early coverage of presidential elections is that the winner begins his campaign for re-election about halfway through the swearing-in ceremony. President Trump, for example, started building a fund for his re-election during his first year in office. Shortly thereafter, he used his address at the Boy Scout Jamboree — with an audience composed primarily of teenage boys — to make a political speech. I don’t mean to single out Trump; he’s only the most recent.

(Years ago, I happened to be in a small group who had access to the chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. One asked him to outline the major objectives of the GOP. “We only have one,” he said, “and it’s the same as the Democrats. To win!” He could see we were surprised at his candor, so he added, “Look, it doesn’t matter what we want to do. If we don’t win, we can’t do anything.”)

But I have digressed. I intend to talk about media announcements that “jump the gun.”

Only a couple of weeks after the news about the election being just around the corner, I saw an announcement of a “back-to-school” sale. School calendars are not as predictable as they once were, but to date I haven’t heard of any that end summer break in the middle of July. Of course, the sales that are tied to annual events — the seasons, religious holidays, dead presidents’ birthdays, etc. — are the result of decisions made by advertising and marketing departments. (“George Washington’s smile would be even broader if he could see your new Egyptian cotton sheets with matching pillow cases.”)

People complain that Christmas ads are premature and seem to become more so every year. One explanation might be that, despite all attempts, Thanksgiving has never become a commercial holiday — one reason why it’s my favorite. On the other hand, thanks to clever marketing, Halloween, a holiday with its roots in superstition, has little reason to exist and no reason to be celebrated. Still, it has become one of America’s favorites, and it is beginning to rival Christmas for consumer spending. But it is followed by a slow merchandizing period with no calendar justification for a sale. The merchandizers’ answer: start Christmas sales earlier.

Whether it’s potatoes or presidents, marketers have combined with the media to take control of the calendar. In today’s Orwellian world, a January “White Sale” can happen any time, and “just around the corner” means sometime this decade.